Reversing-gear for engines.



PATENTBD MAR. 10, 1903. J. G. FAIRBANKS & G. L. SAUER.

REVERSING GEAR FOR ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16, 1902.

:0 MODEL.

UNTTEE STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

JAMES G. FAIRBANKS AND GEORGE L. SAUER, OF MARION, OHIO.

REVERSlNG-GEAR FOR ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,217, dated March 10, 1903.

Application filed February 15, 1902. Serial No. 94,251. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES G. FAIRBANKS and GEORGE L. SAUER, citizens of the United States, residing at Marion, in the county of Marion and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Reversing-Gear for Engines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in valve-operating mechanisms for steam-engines, and has for its principal object to provide an improved form of operating mechanism which will permit of the ready adjustment of the travel of the valve in order to suit difieren't conditions of speed and load and which will at all times be under perfect control to enable the reversal of the engine or the stoppage of the same.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front eleva tion of a valve operating and reversing mechanism constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the mechanism on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation of the device on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of details of the structure detached.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

10 indicates a shaft which receives motion from the piston of the engine in the usual manner, and on said shaft is keyed or other wise secured an eccentric 1l,'surrounded by an eccentric-strap 12. From the strap 12 extends a plate or bar 13, having at its upper end a laterally-projecting boss 14, provided with a central opening for the passage of a securing-bolt 15, the latter extending also through a similar lug or boss formed at the upper end of a slide 16.

Mounted loosely on the shaft 10 is an eccentric-bushin g 17, which supports a guidingblock 18, the latter being provided with parallel grooves 19 for the reception and guidance of the elongated slide 16, the latter being reciprocated by the eccentric 11 through the medium of the strap 12 and the plate or bar 13. To permit freedom of movement of the slide, the latter is provided with an elongated slotor opening 21, through which the shaft may pass, the opening being of sufficient length to allow the slide to travel for the full throw of the eccentric 11.

To the slide is secured a disk 22, also provided with an opening for the reception of the shaft, and on said disk is placed a strap 23, carried by the valve-rod 24, the construction being somewhat similar to that of an ordinary eccentric and strap.

The eccentric-bushing 17 projects slightly beyond the end of the guiding-block 18 and is provided with a segmental rack 25, the teeth of which intermesh with the teeth of a segment 26, mounted on a stud 27, carried by bracket 28 on the guiding-block. The segment 26 is preferably formed integral with a collar or socket 29 for the reception of the end of a reversing-lever, the opposite or handle end of which may be arranged at any desired distance from the mechanism and within convenient reach of the engineer.

In the drawings the device is illustrated in the central or mid position, the engine being stopped, and it will be observed that any reciprocating motion imparted to the slide and its disk 22 will not effect any movement of the strap 23 and the valve-rod. The dotted lines X Y in Fig. 2 designate the'positions to which the mechanism mustbe moved to retate the engine in diiferent directions. When moved to either of these positions, the slide will be reciprocated in an angular plane and will impart a horizontal reciprocating movement to the valve-rod to an extent dependent on the angle to which the slide is moved. The angular position may be varied in accordance with the load or the speed desired to vary the point of cutbfi, and the engine may be instantly reversed by moving the mechanism from the angular position indicated by the line X to that indicatedbythe line Y, or vice versa.

The reversing-lever or the rodconnected thereto and to the stud 27 enables the engineer to adjust the mechanism to any desired position, and more delicate adjustment may be obtained by moving the rod or lever with the stud 27 as a fulcrum, causing a partial rotation of the eccentric-bushing 17 on the main shaft by the engagement of the teeth of the segment 26 and the teeth 25 of the eccentric 17 and causing a movement of the block in either direction to compensate for expansion or contraction which may occur in the connecting mechanism extending tothe valve and to adjust the valve to obtain perfect movement at all points of travel.

In some cases a crank may be employed to reciprocate the slide, and various other changes in the size, proportions, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim is- 1. In a valve-operating device, a slide, means for adjusting the same to differing angular planes, means for reciprocating said slide, a valve, and mechanism connecting the valve and slide and serving to transmit to the valve a degree of movement equal to the distance traversed by a given point on the slide between two parallel planes at a right angle to the plane of movement of the valve.

2. In a valve-operating device, a guidingblock, a reciprocatory slide guided therein and movable in varying angular planes, a valve, and means for operatively connecting the slide and valve, thereby to transmit to said valve movement in a plane at an angle to the plane of movement of said slide.

3. In a valveoperating device, a slide, a guiding-block'therefor, a shaft, an adjustable support between the shaft and the block, means for reciprocating the slide, a valve, and means for operatively connecting the valve and slide.

4. In a valve-operating device, a slide,

means for reciprocating the same, means for adjusting the slide to different angular positions, a slide guiding-block, a shaft, an eccentric-bushing mounted on the shaft and supporting said block, means for adjusting the position of the bushing, a valve, and means for connecting the valve and slide.

5. In a valve-operating device, a shaft, an eccentric carried thereby, an eccentric-bushing mounted loosely on the shaft and adjustable circumferentially thereof, a guidingblock carried by the bushing, a slide adapted to said guiding-block and connected to and operated by the eccentric, a valve and means for connecting the valve and slide.

6. In a valve-operating device, a shaft, an eccentric mounted thereon, a slide having an elongated opening for the passage of the shaft and provided with a disk like projection, means for connecting the slide to the eccentric, an eccentric-bushing mounted on the shaft and adjustable circumferentially thereof, a guiding-block mounted on said bushing, a segmental rack carried by the bushing, a gear-segment intermeshing with said rack, and a reversing-lever connected to said gearsegment.

7. A valve-adjusting mechanism comprising, a shaft, an eccentric-bushing mounted thereon, a block mounted on said bushing and adjustable by the movement of the bushing, and valve-operating mechanism carried by said block, substantially as specified.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as our own We have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES G. FAIRBANKS. GEORGE L. SAUER. Witnesses:

FRANK G. NORTON, WALLACE LINDER. 

